Thin film solar cell structure and method of patterning electrode of the same

ABSTRACT

A thin film solar cell structure comprises a substrate, a front electrode layer, an absorber layer, and a back electrode layer stacked on one another sequentially. A first isolation groove goes through the back electrode layer and the absorber layer, and a second isolation groove is disposed concavely in the front electrode layer and filled with an insulative material. A conductive groove is disposed concavely in the absorber layer and filled with a conductive material. Therefore, the front electrode layer is electrically conducted to the back electrode layer via the conductive material. By means of a method of patterning the first isolation groove, second isolation groove and conductive groove, a succinct design of the thin film solar cell structure can be achieved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a thin film solar cell structure, andmore particularly to a thin film solar cell structure and a method ofpatterning an electrode having an isolation groove and a conductivegroove of the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

With reference to FIG. 1A for a conventional thin film solar cell, athin film solar cell anode 91 is generally arranged on both sides of athin film solar cell 90, and a cell cathode 92 is arranged at the middleof the thin film solar cell 90. Then, a conductive ribbon 93 (orconductive wire) is connected to the cell anode 91 and the cell cathode92 for outputting electric power. However, this design reduces theresponse area of the thin film solar cell 90 in order to install thecell anode 91 and the cell cathode 92, so that the total output power ofthe thin film solar cell 90 is relatively lower.

With reference to FIGS. 1B and 1C for a design of a conventional thinfilm solar cell 90, the conductive ribbon 93 is usually coupled to thecell anode 91 or the cell cathode 92 by a soldering process. To allow afront electrode layer 14 to be electrically coupled to the conductiveribbon 93, solder points 921 of the cell anode 91 and the conductiveribbon 93 must be penetrated through a back electrode layer 16 and anabsorber layer, such that the electric power of the front electrodelayer 14 is outputted through the conductive ribbon 93, and the cellcathode 92 is fixed to the conductive ribbon 93 through the solder point921. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the thin film solar cell 90requires an additional process of soldering the conductive ribbon 93 andthus increases the manufacturing time of the thin film solar cell 90.For example, R.O.C. Pat. No. 200618324 discloses a method of solderingthe electrodes with the conductive ribbon to constitute an electricconnection to prevent a solar cell from being broken down or damaged bythermal stress or other factors. However, leads and solder points may bebroken or peeled off easily, so that the manufacturing process furtherincreases the material cost of the conductive ribbon and solder. R.O.C.Pat. No. M370833 (or Publication No. 98.12.14) discloses a solar cellhaving a circular groove formed by laser engraving and cutting, andremoving the back electrode layer, absorber layer and front electrodelayer to achieve the isolation and insulation effects. R.O.C. Pat. No.200847457 discloses a method of engraving a plurality of cell anodes 91and cell cathodes 92 from lateral sides of the thin film solar cell 90in the laser engraving and cutting process, and each pair of the cellanodes 91 and cell cathodes 92 patterned on lateral sides of the thinfilm solar cell 90 are connected in series to constitute an electricconnection. Although this method can reduce the number of laserengraving and cutting, metal conductive wires are used for seriallyconnecting each pair of the cell anodes 91 and cell cathodes 92, andthus the manufacture still requires a complicated manufacturingprocedure and a long manufacturing time.

With reference to FIG. 2 for a conventional method of patterningelectrodes of a thin film solar cell 90, each cell is formed byconnecting seven conductive ribbons 93 including five terminal ribbon931 and two international ribbon 932, and this method consumes muchmaterial and still requires improvements to lower the cost and promotethe extensive application of solar energy.

In view of the aforementioned problems, the industry has immediatedemands for a novel thin film solar cell to overcome the problems of theprior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is a primary objective of the present invention toovercome the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art by providing athin film solar cell structure and a method of patterning electrodes ofthe thin film solar cell structure.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides asingle-deck or multi-deck thin film solar cell structure, and the thinfilm solar cell comprises a panel electrode formed by a cell anode and acell cathode. A conductive channel of the cell anode and the cellcathode is formed by patterning a first isolation groove, a secondisolation groove and a conductive groove. The thin film solar cellfurther comprises a substrate, a front electrode layer, an absorberlayer and a back electrode layer stacked sequentially on one another.Wherein, the first isolation groove is penetrated through the backelectrode layer and the absorber layer. The second isolation groove isconcavely formed on the front electrode layer and filled with aninsulative material. The conductive groove is concavely formed on theabsorber layer and filled with a conductive material. With theinsulative material of the second isolation groove, a portion of thefront electrode layer is electrically isolated by the second isolationgroove. With the conductive material of the conductive groove, anelectric connection between the front electrode layer and the backelectrode layer is achieved to define the conductive channel between theelectrodes of the thin film solar cell.

The present invention further provides a method of patterning electrodesof a single-deck or multi-deck thin film solar cell, and the methodcomprises the steps of:

S1: forming a front electrode layer on a surface of a substrate;

S2: patterning the front electrode layer to form a second isolationgroove, filling an insulative material into the second isolation groove,forming one or more absorber layers on a surface of the front electrodelayer, wherein the insulative material filled into the second isolationgroove is the same material for making the absorber layer coupled to thefront electrode layer, and while the absorber layer is being formed onthe surface of the front electrode layer, the insulative material isfilled into second isolation groove at the same time;

S3: patterning the absorber layer or each of the absorber layers to forma conductive groove, and filling a conductive material into theconductive groove;

S4: forming a back electrode layer on the uppermost surface of theabsorber layer to produce a thin film solar cell panel; and

S5: patterning the back electrode and the absorber layer on the thinfilm solar cell panel to the front electrode layer to form a firstisolation groove.

Therefore, the present invention provides a thin film solar cellstructure having the back electrode layer and the absorber layerpenetrated through the first isolation groove, the second isolationgroove concavely formed on the front electrode layer and filled with aninsulative material, and the absorber layer. Wherein, the conductivegroove is concavely formed on the absorber layer and filled with aconductive material to produce a conductive channel of the thin filmsolar cell, so that current is collected from the cell cathode to thecell anode, and no conductive ribbon is required for outputting theelectric power of the cell anode and the cell cathode.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a thin filmsolar cell structure without requiring the design of a conductiveribbon, such that the response area of the thin film solar cell can beexpanded to increase the total output of electric power of the thin filmsolar cell.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a thin filmsolar cell structure without requiring a soldering of conductive ribbon,such that the manufacturing procedure of the thin film solar cell can besimplified and the material cost of the conductive ribbon can be saved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of connecting electrodes of a conventionalthin film solar cell;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of an anode of a conventional thinfilm solar cell;

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a cathode of a conventional thinfilm solar cell;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of connecting a conductive ribbon of aconventional thin film solar cell with a cable junction box;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a thin film solar cell structure of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the thin film solar cell asdepicted in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view of a first isolation groove of thethin film solar cell as depicted in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view of a second isolation groove of thethin film solar cell as depicted in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view of a non-electrically isolated area ofthe thin film solar cell as depicted in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another way of connecting a thin filmsolar cell of the present invention with a cable junction box;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a conductive groove of adouble-deck front electrode layer of a thin film solar cell inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a first isolation groove of thedouble-deck front electrode layer of the thin film solar cell inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of a second isolation groove of thedouble-deck front electrode layer of the thin film solar cell inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view of a non-electrically isolated area ofthe double-deck front electrode layer of the thin film solar cell inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5E is a schematic view of a path of passing a current of thedouble-deck front electrode layer of the thin film solar cell from acell cathode to a cell anode of the solar cell in accordance with thepresent invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of patterning electrodes of a thinfilm solar cell of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The foregoing and other objectives, characteristics and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent by the detailed descriptionof a preferred embodiment as follows. It is noteworthy to point out thatthe present invention discloses a thin film solar cell structure and amethod of patterning electrodes of the thin film solar cell. Wherein,the basic principle of etching ditches or grooves is adopted, and thisprinciple is a prior art and thus will not be described here. Inaddition, the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating thetechnical characteristics of the present invention, but not intended forlimiting the scope of the present invention.

In a thin film solar cell, a single chip has a power supply ofapproximately 0.6 watt, and such electric power is insufficient for theuse of load voltage for a plurality of application modules, so that thepresent technology increases the current and electric power byconnecting a plurality of thin film solar cell in series or in parallel.A general thin film solar cell is processed by a laser or mechanicalpatterning process to achieve the effect of connecting the thin filmsolar cells in series.

With reference to FIG. 3A for a schematic view of a thin film solar cell1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,the thin film solar cell 1 includes a panel electrode comprised of acell anode 11 and a cell cathode 12. The panel electrode of the thinfilm solar cell 1 is formed by patterning and electrically isolating afirst isolation groove 17 and a second isolation groove 18. In FIG. 3A,the cell anode 11 is installed transversally at an end of the thin filmsolar cell 1, and the cell cathode 12 is installed longitudinally at thecenter of the thin film solar cell 1, and the cell anode 11 and the cellcathode 12 are perpendicular to each other. However, the positions ofthe cell anode 11 and cell cathode 12 can be adjusted according to thedesign requirements of the thin film solar cell 1, and a preferredembodiment is provided for illustrating the present invention, but theinvention is not limited to such arrangement only.

With reference to FIGS. 3B˜3E, FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of athin film solar cell 1 comprising a substrate 13, a front electrodelayer 14, an absorber layer 15 and a back electrode layer 16 stacked onone another sequentially. The cell anode 11 is installed at an end ofthe thin film solar cell 1, and the cell cathode 12 is installed at theother end of the thin film solar cell 1 and opposite to the cell anode11. The first isolation groove 17 is formed at a position proximate tothe cell anode 11 for isolating the electric conduction of the cellanode 11. In FIG. 3C, the first isolation groove 17 cuts the thin filmsolar cell 1 and penetrates through the back electrode layer 16 and theabsorber layer 15 to isolate the electric conduction of the absorberlayer 15. In FIG. 3B, the conductive groove 19 is concavely formed onthe absorber layer 15 and filled with a conductive material 191. Withthe conductive material 191 of the conductive groove 19, an electricconduction between the front electrode layer 14 and the back electrodelayer 16 can be achieved. The conductive material 191 is one selectedfrom the collection of tin dioxide (Sn0₂), indium tin oxide (ITO), zincoxide (ZnO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO) andindium zinc oxide (IZO), and the substrate 13 is made of a transparentmaterial. The front electrode layer 14 is made of a transparentconductive oxide (TCO) selected from the collection of tin dioxide(Sn02), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum zinc oxide(AZO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO). Theabsorber layer 15 is a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structuremade of a material selected from the collection of a crystalline siliconsemiconductor, an amorphous silicon semiconductor, a semiconductorcompound, an organic semiconductor and a sensitized dye. The backelectrode layer 16 is also a single-layer structure or a multi-layerstructure, and further comprises a metal layer 161 and a conductiveoxide layer 162. Wherein, the metal layer 161 is made of a metalselected from the collection of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), chromium(Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni) and gold (Au), and the conductive oxidelayer 162 is made of a material selected from the collection of tindioxide (Sn02), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum zincoxide (AZO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO). Thecutting method includes but not limited to an etch cutting method, alaser cutting method or a mechanical cutting method.

With reference to FIGS. 3A and 3D, FIG. 3D shows a cross-sectional viewof the second isolation groove 18 as depicted in FIG. 3A. The secondisolation groove 18 and the first isolation groove 17 are arrangedtransversally adjacent to each other, and the second isolation groove 18is concavely formed on the front electrode layer 14 and filled with aninsulative material 181. With the insulative material 181 of the secondisolation groove 18, the front electrode layer 14 is electricallyisolated by the second isolation groove 18. With the first isolationgroove 17 and second isolation groove 18, the current generated by thecell cathode 12 can be transmitted from the front electrode layer 14below the first isolation groove 17 only. With the conductive groove 19,the current is transmitted to the back electrode layer 16, and then tothe cell anode 11. Wherein, the current is passed in a way as shown inFIG. 5E, except that FIG. 5E shows the structure of a multi-layer thinfilm solar cell 1. The way of passing the current is the same in bothsingle-layer and multi-layer structures. Therefore, the current iscollected from the cell anode 11, and the cell anode 11 can be connectedin series without requiring the soldering of a conductive ribbon. Forthe non-electrically isolated area, the back electrode layer 16 or themetal layer 161 of the back electrode layer 16 can be used for theelectric conduction as shown in FIG. 3E.

In this preferred embodiment, the first isolation groove 17, secondisolation groove 18 and conductive groove 19 can be formed by an etch,laser, or mechanical cutting method, but the invention is not limited tosuch arrangements only. The positions of the first isolation groove 17,second isolation groove 18 and conductive groove 19 can be designedaccording to the actual conditions of patterning and serially connectingthe thin film solar cell 1 and the required positions of the cell anode11 and the cell cathode 12, and the conductive path of the current.

With reference to FIG. 4 for a schematic view of transmitting electricpower generated by the thin film solar cell 1 to the outside, an anodeterminal 21 is installed in a channel of the cell anode 11 and at anappropriate position of a cable junction box 23, and a cathode terminal22 is installed on a channel of the cell cathode 12 and at anappropriate position of the cable junction box 23. In FIG. 4, the cellanode 11 and the cathode terminal 22 are installed at a positionproximate to the center of the thin film solar cell 1 or installed at aposition proximate to a lateral edge of the thin film solar cell 1, butthe invention is not limited to such arrangements only. The anodeterminal 21 and the cell anode 11 as well as the cathode terminal 22 andthe cell cathode 12 are connected by a soldering method or a silverpaste adhesion, but the invention is not limited to such arrangements.The power supply circuit of the thin film solar cell 1 can be connectedto the anode terminal 21 and the cathode terminal 22 by a cable junctionbox 23 to allow the thin film solar cell 1 to supply electric power tothe outside.

With reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D for a multi-layer thin filmsolar cell 1, a structure of a two-layer thin film solar cell 1 isshown. In FIG. 5A, a power generating layer at the top is an absorberlayer 151, and a power generating layer at the bottom is formed by anabsorber layer 152 and a front electrode layer 142. In FIG. 5A, aconductive groove 19 is concavely formed on the absorber layer 151 andthe absorber layer 152 and filled with a conductive material 191. Withthe conductive material 191 of the conductive groove 19, an electricconduction between the front electrode layer 142 and the back electrodelayer 16 can be achieved. In FIG. 5B, the back electrode layer 16,absorber layer 151 and absorber layer 152 are formed on a panel of thethin film solar cell 1 and proximate to the cell anode 11. In FIG. 5C, aback electrode layer 16 is formed on an internal side on both left andright edges of the panel of the thin film solar cell 1, and each of theabsorber layer 15 (151, 152) and the front electrode layer 142 areextended to a surface of the substrate 13 to produce a second isolationgroove 18. The second isolation groove 18 is concavely formed on thefront electrode layer 142 of the substrate 13 and filled with aninsulative material 181. With the insulative material 181 of the secondisolation groove 18, the front electrode layer 142 is electricallyisolated by the second isolation groove 18. The second isolation groove18 is formed after the front electrode layer 142 is formed on thesubstrate 13, and the front electrode layer 142 is patterned. When theabsorber layer 151 is formed on a surface of the front electrode layer142, the material of the absorber layer 151 is filled into the secondisolation groove 18 to form the insulative material 181. As to thenon-electrically isolated area, the back electrode layer 16 or the metallayer 161 of the back electrode layer 16 is used for an electricconduction as shown in FIG. 5D.

With reference to FIG. 5E for a schematic view of a path of passing acurrent of a double-deck front electrode layer of a thin film solar cellfrom a cell cathode to a cell anode of the solar cell in accordance withthe present invention, an electron flow is produced after the absorberlayers 151, 152 receive light illumination, and the cell cathode 12 (asindicated by “−” in the figure), the cell anode 11 (as indicated by “+”in the figure) and the cable junction box 23 are coupled to the outsideto constitute a power supply circuit. If current is generated, the cellcathode 12 is electrically conducted through the back electrode layer16, such that the current of the absorber layers 151, 152 flows towardsthe front electrode layer 142. Since the first isolation groove 17 iselectrically isolated, the current can flow from the front electrodelayer 142 to the conductive groove 19 only. Since the conductive groove19 is filled with the conductive material 191, the current of theabsorber layers 151, 152 is connected and flowed towards the anode(“+”), because the front electrode layer 142 is electrically isolated bythe insulative material 181 of the second isolation groove 18 and thedirection of the current is changed. As a result, there is no short cut.Similarly, the current is electrically conducted by the back electrodelayer 16, and the current of the absorber layers 151, 152 flows towardsthe front electrode layer 142. By the isolation of the first isolationgroove 17, the current can flow from the front electrode layer 142 tothe conductive groove 19 only, and out from the cell anode (“+”), andthe aforementioned components and designs constitute the thin film solarcell of the present invention.

In the structure of the thin film solar cell 1 in accordance with thepresent invention, the first isolation groove 17 and the secondisolation groove 18 are connected in series without any particularlimitation of their distance apart, and a distance of 100˜800 μm isadopted in a preferred embodiment to lower the resistance and reduce theheat generating source, so as to overcome the shortcomings of theconventional thin film solar cell that adopts many long conductiveribbons (or the conductive ribbon 93 as shown in the FIG. 2). Thestructure of the thin film solar cell 1 of the present invention reducesthe use of these conductive ribbons to lower the cost significantly.

In the thin film solar cell 1 of the present invention, the firstisolation groove 17 and the second isolation groove 18 are formed by alaser cutting method or a mechanical cutting method, and the absorberlayer 15 is still reserved on the first isolation groove 17, so that theeffect of patterning the electrodes can be achieved without reducing thepower generating area, which is one of the advantages of the presentinvention.

With reference to FIG. 6 for a flow chart of a method of patterningelectrodes of a thin film solar cell of the present invention, asingle-layer thin film solar cell 1 is used for illustrating theinvention.

S1: Forming a front electrode layer 14 on a surface of a substrate 13,wherein the front electrode layer 14 is generally made of a transparentconductive oxide TCO including but not limited to tin dioxide (Sn0₂),indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO),gallium zinc oxide (GZO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO);

S2: Patterning the front electrode layer 14 to form a second isolationgroove 18, wherein the absorber layer 15 formed on the surface of thefront electrode layer 14 is a single-layer structure or a multi-layerstructure, and the single-layer structure is adopted for illustratingthe present invention, and the absorber layer 15 is made of a materialincluding but not limited to a crystalline silicon semiconductor, anamorphous silicon semiconductor, a semiconductor compound, an organicsemiconductor or a sensitized dye, and when the absorber layer 15 isformed on surfaces of the front electrode layer 14 and the secondisolation groove 18, the material of the absorber layer 15 is alsofilled into the second isolation groove 18 at the same time to act asthe insulative material 181, and any other equivalent material can beused to substitute the insulative material 181;

S3: Patterning the absorber layer 15 to form a conductive groove 19, andfilling a conductive material 191 into the conductive groove 19, so asto form a plurality of rectangular cells and achieve the effect ofconnecting them in series, wherein the conductive groove 19 can beformed by an etch, laser or mechanical cutting method, and theconductive material 191 includes but not limited to tin dioxide (Sn0₂),indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO),gallium zinc oxide (GZO), indium zinc oxide (IZO) and silver paste;

S4: Forming a back electrode layer 16 on a surface of the absorber layer15 to produce a panel of the thin film solar cell 1, wherein the backelectrode layer 16 is comprised of a conductive oxide layer 162 and ametal layer 161, and the conductive oxide layer 162 is made of amaterial selected from the collection of tin dioxide (Sn0₂), indium tinoxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), gallium zincoxide (GZO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO), and the metal layer 161 is madeof a metal selected from the collection of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al),chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni) and gold (Au);

S5: Cutting both left and right internal sides of the panel of the thinfilm solar cell 1 and at a position proximate to the cell anode 11 toextend the back electrode layer 16 and the absorber layer 15 to thefront electrode layer 14 to form a first isolation groove 17, whereinthe first isolation groove 17 is formed by an etch, laser or mechanicalcutting method, and the cell anode 11 is patterned at an end of the thinfilm solar cell 1 (or an upper end as shown in FIG. 3A), so that currentgenerated by the thin film solar cell 1 can be collected from the cellcathode 12 towards the cell anode 11, and during the step S5 ofpatterning the back electrode layer 16 and the absorber layer 15 to thefront electrode layer 14 to form the first isolation groove 17, the stepS3 of patterning the back electrode layer 16 and the absorber layer 15can be performed at the same time, and after the back electrode layer 16and the absorber layer 15 are patterned, the front electrode layer 14 ispatterned to produce the second isolation groove 18, or steps S3 and S5take place separately, and the first isolation groove 17, secondisolation groove 18 and conductive groove 19 can be connected in seriesby patterning the thin film solar cell 1, and the positions of the cellanode 11 and cell cathode 12 can be arranged according to the conductionpath of the current;

S6: Installing an anode terminal 21 on the cell anode 11 and at anappropriate position of the channel for the cable junction box 23, andinstalling a cathode terminal 22 on the cell cathode 12 and at aposition of the channel for the cable junction box 23, wherein the anodeterminal 21 and the cell anode 11 as well as the cathode terminal 22 andthe cell cathode 12 can be connected by soldering or silver pasteadhesion; and

S7: Connecting the anode terminal 21 and the cathode terminal 22 to apower supply circuit, such as connecting the cable junction box 23 tothe anode terminal 21 and the cathode terminal 22, such that the thinfilm solar cell 1 can supply electric power to the outside.

As to the multi-layer structure of the absorber layer 15, the electrodesof the thin film solar cell of the present invention are patterned bythe method described above:

SS1: Forming a front electrode layer 142 on a surface of a substrate 13;

SS2: Patterning the front electrode layer 142 to form a second isolationgroove 18, and filling an insulative material 181 into the secondisolation groove 18, and forming a first absorber layer 152 on surfacesof the front electrode layer 142 and the second isolation groove 18, andthen forming a second absorber layer 151 on the absorber layer 152, andso on to produce a multi-layer power generating layer, wherein the frontelectrode layer 142 between the two absorber layers 151, 152 can be skipfor a different cell structure;

SS3: Patterning the multi-layer absorber layers 151, 152 to form andextend each absorber layer 151, 152 to the front electrode layer 142 toproduce a conductive groove 19, and filling a conductive material 191into the conductive groove 19, so as to produce a plurality ofrectangular cells and achieve the serial connection effect;

SS4: Forming a back electrode layer 16 on a surface of the uppermostabsorber layer 152 of the multi-layer absorber layer to form a panel ofa thin film solar cell, wherein the back electrode layer 16 is comprisedof a metal layer 161 and a conductive oxide layer 162;

SS5: Cutting internal sides of both left and right edges of the panel ofthe thin film solar cell 1 proximate to the cell anode 11 to form theback electrode layer 16 and each of the absorber layers 151, 152 to beextended to a surface of the front electrode layer 142 to produce afirst isolation groove 17;

SS5: Cutting the internal sides on both left and right edges of thepanel of the thin film solar cell 1 to form the back electrode layer 16,a multi-layer absorber layer 15 (151, 152) and a front electrode layer142 onto a surface of the substrate 13 to produce a second isolationgroove 18, such that the cell anode 11 is patterned at an end of thethin film solar cell 1 (or an upper end as shown in FIG. 3A), so thatthe current generated by the thin film solar cell 1 can be collectedfrom the cell cathode 12 to the cell anode 11, and when the backelectrode layer 16 and each absorber layer (151, 152) are formed on thesurface of the front electrode layer 142 to produce the first isolationgroove 17 in the step SS5, the back electrode layer 16 and the absorberlayer (151, 152) in the step SS3 can be formed at the same time, andafter the back electrode layer 16 and each absorber layer (151, 152) areformed, the second isolation groove 18 is formed, or the steps SS5 andSS3 take place separately, and the positions of the first isolationgroove 17, second isolation groove 18 and conductive groove 19 arearranged and designed according the to the serial connection of the thinfilm solar cell 1, the positions of the cell anode 11 and the cellcathode 12, and the conduction path of the current;

SS6: Installing an anode terminal 21 on the cell anode 11 and at anappropriate position of a channel for the cable junction box 23, andinstalling cathode terminal 22 on the cell cathode 12 and at anappropriate position of the channel for the cable junction box 23; and

SS7: Connecting the anode terminal 21 and the cathode terminal 22 to apower supply circuit, such that the cable junction box 23 can beconnected to the anode terminal 21 and cathode terminal 22, and the thinfilm solar cell 1 can supply electric power to the outside.

1. A thin film solar cell structure, comprising a substrate, a frontelectrode layer, an absorber layer and a back electrode layer, stackedon one another sequentially, and further comprising a panel electrode,and the panel electrode further comprising a cell anode and a cellcathode, and a conductive channel of the cell anode and the cell cathodebeing formed by patterning a first isolation groove, a second isolationgroove and a conductive groove, wherein: the first isolation groove ispenetrated through the back electrode layer and the absorber layer; thesecond isolation groove is concavely formed on the front electrode layerand filled with an insulative material, and the insulative material ofthe second isolation groove is provided for electrically isolating aportion of the front electrode layer from the second isolation groove;the conductive groove is concavely formed on the absorber layer andfilled with a conductive material, and the conductive material of theconductive groove is provided for achieving an electric conductionbetween the front electrode layer and the back electrode layer.
 2. Thethin film solar cell structure of claim 1, wherein the first isolationgroove and the second isolation groove are connected serially adjacentto each other.
 3. The thin film solar cell structure of claim 1, whereinthe insulative material of the second isolation groove is the samematerial used for making the absorber layer.
 4. The thin film solar cellstructure of claim 1, wherein the back electrode layer is formed by atransparent conductive oxide layer made of a material selected from thecollection of tin dioxide, indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum zincoxide, gallium zinc oxide and indium zinc oxide.
 5. The thin film solarcell structure of claim 4, wherein the back electrode layer furthercomprises a metal layer made of a metal selected from the collection ofsilver, aluminum, chromium, titanium, nickel and gold.
 6. The thin filmsolar cell structure of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of atransparent material.
 7. The thin film solar cell structure of claim 1,wherein the front electrode layer is made of a transparent conductiveoxide selected from the collection of tin dioxide, indium tin oxide,zinc oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, gallium zinc oxide and indium zincoxide, and the conductive material of the conductive groove is oneselected from the collection of tin dioxide, indium tin oxide, zincoxide, aluminum zinc oxide, gallium zinc oxide and indium zinc oxide,and the absorber layer is made of a material selected from thecollection of a crystalline silicon semiconductor, an amorphous siliconsemiconductor, a semiconductor compound, an organic semiconductor and asensitized dye.
 8. A thin film solar cell structure, comprising asubstrate and a front electrode layer sequentially stacked onto aplurality of absorber layers and a back electrode layer, and furthercomprising a panel electrode, and the panel electrode comprising a cellanode and a cell cathode, and a conductive channel of the cell anode andthe cell cathode being formed by patterning a first isolation groove, asecond isolation groove and a conductive groove, wherein: the firstisolation groove is penetrated through the back electrode layer and theabsorber layers; the second isolation groove is concavely disposedproximate to the front electrode layer of the substrate and filled withan insulative material, and the insulative material of the secondisolation groove is provided for electrically isolating a portion of thefront electrode layer from the second isolation groove; the conductivegroove is concavely disposed on the absorber layers and filled with aconductive material, and the conductive material of the conductivegroove is provided for achieving an electric conduction between thefront electrode layer adjacent to the substrate and the back electrodelayer.
 9. The thin film solar cell structure of claim 8, wherein thefirst isolation groove and the second isolation groove are connectedserially adjacent to each other.
 10. The thin film solar cell structureof claim 8, wherein the insulative material of the second isolationgroove is the same material used for making any one of the absorberlayers.
 11. The thin film solar cell structure of claim 8, wherein theback electrode layer is formed by stacking a transparent conductiveoxide layer with a metal layer, and the transparent conductive oxidelayer is made of a material selected from the collection of tin dioxide,indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, gallium zinc oxideand indium zinc oxide, and the metal layer is made of a metal selectedfrom the collection of silver, aluminum, chromium, titanium, nickel andgold.
 12. The thin film solar cell structure of claim 6, wherein thefront electrode layer is made of a transparent conductive oxide selectedfrom the collection of tin dioxide, indium tin oxide, zinc oxide,aluminum zinc oxide, gallium zinc oxide and indium zinc oxide, and theconductive material of the conductive groove is one selected from thecollection of tin dioxide, indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum zincoxide, gallium zinc oxide and indium zinc oxide, and the absorber layeris made of a material selected from the collection of a crystallinesilicon semiconductor, an amorphous silicon semiconductor, asemiconductor compound, an organic semiconductor and a sensitized dye.13. A method of patterning an electrode of the thin film solar cellstructure as recited in claim 1, and the method comprising the steps of:S1: forming the front electrode layer on a surface of the substrate; S2:patterning the front electrode layer to form the second isolationgroove, filling the insulative material in the second isolation groove,and forming the absorber layer on surfaces of the front electrode layerand the second isolation groove, wherein the absorber layer is asingle-layer structure; S3: patterning the absorber layer to form theconductive groove, and filling the conductive material into theconductive groove; S4: forming the back electrode layer on surfaces ofthe absorber layer and the conductive groove to produce a thin filmsolar cell panel; and S5: patterning the back electrode and the absorberlayer on the thin film solar cell panel to the front electrode layer toproduce the first isolation groove.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising the steps of: S6: installing an anode terminal on a channelof the cell anode of the thin film solar cell panel, and a cathodeterminal on a channel of the cell cathode of the thin film solar cellpanel; S7: connecting the anode terminal and the cathode terminal to apower supply circuit, such that the thin film solar cell is able tosupply electric power to the outside.
 15. The method of claim 13,wherein the insulative material filled in the second isolation groove inthe step S2 is the same material used for making the absorber layer, andwhen the absorber layer is formed on the surface of the front electrodelayer, the insulative material is filled into the second isolationgroove at the same time.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the stepS2, S3 or S5 uses an etch cutting method, a laser cutting method or amechanical cutting method.
 17. A method of patterning an electrode ofthe thin film solar cell structure as recited in claim 6, and the methodcomprising the steps of: SS1: forming the front electrode layer on asurface of the substrate; SS2: patterning the front electrode layer toform the second isolation groove, and filling the insulative materialinto the second isolation groove, and forming the plurality of absorberlayers on surfaces of the front electrode layer and the second isolationgroove; SS3: patterning the absorber layers to form the conductivegroove, and filling the conductive material into the conductive groove;SS4: forming the back electrode layer on the uppermost surface of theabsorber layers to produce a thin film solar cell panel; SS5: patterningthe back electrode and the absorber layer on the thin film solar cellpanel to the front electrode layer to produce the first isolationgroove.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:SS6: installing an anode terminal on a channel of the cell anode of thethin film solar cell panel, and installing a cathode terminal on achannel of the cell cathode of the thin film solar cell panel; SS7:connecting the anode terminal and the cathode terminal to a power supplycircuit, such that the thin film solar cell is able to supply electricpower to the outside.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the insulativematerial filled into the second isolation groove in the step SS2 is thesame material for making the absorber layer adjacently coupled to thefront electrode layer, and when the absorber layer is formed on thesurface of the front electrode layer, the insulative material is filledinto the second isolation groove at the same time.
 20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the steps SS2, SS3 or SS5 uses an etch cutting method,a laser cutting method or a mechanical cutting method.